BTNY201: Plant Functional Biology & Biotechnology

Teaching Staff

Course Description

In this paper we investigate, using a combination of laboratories, project based research, lectures and tutorials, the processes and factors that control plant growth and development, and how plants can be manipulated to sustainably satisfy the increasing global demand for crops, food and fuels.

You will learn the mechanisms that plants use to control their growth and development, and how an understanding of these mechanisms is enabling scientists to produce more efficient crop plants that produce greater yields, with fewer resources and a reduced environmental impact.

You will learn how to culture plant cells and produce artificial seeds, how to extend the postharvest lives of fruit, vegetables and cut flowers, how plant cells can be used as green chemical factories and how to produce super-plants that can cope with the stresses associated with climate change.

Lectures

Section I (14 lectures) - The Development of Higher Plants: theory and biotechnological applications.